Troubled Picnic
by Aussielover
Summary: Pete plans to join the Reeds on a picnic, but with a change in plans, things go from fun to trouble.


Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and am writing for the enjoyment of fellow Adam-12 fans. Hope you like my very first story.

Troubled Picnic

It is a beautiful day outside. _A perfect day for a picnic_, Pete thinks as he heads over to Jim's place to join the family for lunch at the park. It has been a few days since he has seen his godson, and he always enjoys roughhousing with the 3 year-old. Pete is getting pretty hungry which is perfect since Jean knows how to pack a large tasty meal for this crowd.

"Hi Pete, how are you doing today", Jim asks, as he waves Pete into the house?

"I'm starving and ready for some ball playing with my favorite godson. "

"Great, we should be ready to head out the door in just a couple more minutes. Jean is just talking with her mom on the phone. " "So did you decide to put in some extra shifts next week to help with the stakeouts?"

"Yeah, I offered to Mac to work the first one, but I'm hoping to get out fishing the next weekend. Maybe, if we're lucky we'll get a drug bust on the first shot. I can't stand seeing these young kids being pulled into a life of drugs."

"Unca Pete! " The little three-year-old comes running up to Pete.

"Hey there little man", as Pete pulls Jimmy up into his arms. "Somebody is getting bigger by the day. Are you ready for the park?"

"Yesssss! Can we go - can we go?"

"In just a minute, let's see if your mom is off the phone yet." Pete says.

Jim goes to check on what is taking Jean so long while Pete and Jimmy go play with Jimmy's cars in the family room. After about ten minutes, Jim walks into the family room to find Pete.

"Hey Pete, we have a problem. Jean just found out that her father is at the hospital. He is having chest pains this morning and they got pretty severe so her mom called an ambulance. They are going to do a cardiac workup on him and Jean wants to go be with her mom. Would you be ok with a rain check for today?"

"I have another idea, Jim. How about I go ahead and take Jimmy to the park? I'm thinking he would love spending some time with his uncle and this way you two could be there for Jean's mom without worrying about Jimmy. "

"Pete, thanks, that would be a big help. Jimmy, I'm sure would be restless in no time at the hospital. Here take the basket lunch that Jean packed and Jimmy has a few toys in there as well. "

"Jim, I'll plan to bring Jimmy back here and give the hospital a call if you're not back yet, if that sounds ok to you. "

" Perfect, Pete. Thanks again. "

"Ok Jimmy, let's get this show on the road."

Out the door, Pete and Jimmy hop in Pete's car while Jim and Jean set off for the hospital. The boys arrive at Griffin Park with the basket of goodies. They find a good spot near the playground to eat first. The challenge is to get Jimmy to eat with tantalizing playground equipment right next to them.

Now stuffed with fried chicken, fruit, and chips, it is time to get out some energy. Pete can hardly keep up with Jimmy on the playset. The swings are fun, but the slides hold the most interest to Jimmy. At one point Pete comes barreling off the big slide a little too quickly and slips backwards and hits his head. Jimmy just giggles as uncle Pete rubs his head. Jimmy comes up and leans over Pete sitting in the sand at the end of the slide. He gently places a kiss on Pete's boo-boo. Then they are up playing some tag around the park. Next, they did some digging in the sand.

Finally, they have the ball out and are kicking it back and forth. _This godson of mine is going to be one good athlete when he's grown. _ With one big kick the ball flies into a small grove of trees. Pete goes chasing after it while Jimmy is quickly distracted with the merry-go-round. Fortunately, the place is pretty quiet since it's a weekday.

Pete is searching around the brushy trees for the ball and surprises two men. The men are in their early twenties with one in stylish clothes and the other one looking a bit worn. They appear to be having some kind of argument over something. Both peer at Pete with distrust and doubt about his intrusion.

Instantly after seeing the two men, Pete has a gut feeling that something is wrong with this situation. He hesitates to speak or act at that moment because he is responsible for little Jimmy. Pete is just out of view of the playground where he left Jimmy playing. One of the guys quickly says, "Can I help you mister?"

Pete's first response is "No, I'm just looking for a ball that rolled into the bushes," as he bends down to look under the shrubbery.

The shaggy looking guy grumbles under his breath, "Yeah, I bet you are." He yells at the other man, "Did you have another arrangement or a better deal?"

He suddenly pulls out a six-inch knife and whips around and grabs Pete by the shirt collar. The guy pulls him up from behind and presses the knife against his throat. "So what is the deal here?" states the buyer. Pete feels the reality of the situation hit him.

The other man's expression turns from surprise to anger. "What kind of fool are you?"

Pete with the pressure on his throat tries to speak, but comes out a bit breathy, "Drop the knife, I'm a police officer!"

This statement shook the two men, but has the reverse affect on them. "Kill him and let's get the hell out of here!"

Pete reaches up and grabs hold of the man's wrist holding the knife. Pete gives a quick jab of his left elbow into the man's stomach. It knocks the air out of him enough for Pete to twist around the man's arm away from his throat. Pete slams the man's hand holding the knife against a tree trunk with enough strength to cause it to fall.

Pete follows with a fist to the guy's midsection and he drops to his knees out of breath. Just then without warning, Pete feels a hard punch to his lower back and a shooting pain radiates through him. He falls forward against a tree and takes in a ragged breath.

He spins around and just ducks another blow by the same man. Pete throws a strong punch into to the man's chin. He staggers back and falls to the ground. But just as Pete thinks that he is in control of the situation another unexpected turn occurs. The first man reclaims the knife from the ground and quickly stabs it into Pete's side. A loud gasp escapes from Pete as he crumples over onto the grass. The man with the knife grabs a hold of the other man and pulls him up. They exchange glances and both take off at a run away from the playground leaving behind an injured Pete.

The pain is overwhelming as he reaches down to the wound on his side and turns up his hand to see it covered in blood. He didn't know if the knife hit anything vital, but knows the shock can cause enough problems for the moment. He tries to put some pressure on the area as he staggers to get up. _He has to get to Jimmy! _

Each step causes a sharp pang in his side, but he continues to move toward the playground. He is beginning to sweat profusely and his throat is getting dry. He can see Jimmy still digging in the sandy area of the playground. Just then, Jimmy looks up to see his uncle approaching and he yells, "Unca Pete, see what I made."

Pete tries to call back to him, but his voice just fades away. When only a few feet away, Jimmy comes running up to him and reaches up to grab Pete's free hand and pull him toward the creation in the sand. "Jimmy wait" is all he can get out.

At that point Jimmy notices the red liquid seeping through Pete's fingers of his other hand held tightly to his side.

"What's wrong unca Pete?"

Trying not to scare the boy, Pete just says, "I fell and hurt himself. I think…we..need..to…get going." Pete needs to catch his breath before continuing. "Jimmy, can you help me over to the car?"

Jimmy is suddenly worried about leaving his toys in the sand. He looks back over to the playground.

Biting his lip from the pain shooting through him, Pete says, "Jimmy, grab your toy… and then go to the car. ….We'll get the rest later."

Pete realizes that he is really dripping a lot of blood through his hand and that he needs to do something more. He stumbles over to the picnic basket and reaches in for some napkins to use. He presses a folded one into his side and can't help, but let out a small groan. He is getting more worried with some dizziness starting to set in. _Is it really safe for me to drive?_ _I have Jimmy to think about as well?_ _If I can just make it to the visitor center where there is a phone_, thought Pete. He collapses into the car seat and a moment later Jimmy crawls in over him. It is awkward to shift into gear with his left hand, but he somehow manages and pull out. In less than a couple minutes, he drives the car into the visitor parking area. Pete takes a minute to catch his breath before climbing out of the car. "You stay… right here! I'll be… right back!"

Pete wavers for a couple steps, but makes it into the small building. Inside a young man in a park uniform is behind the counter. He notices right away that something is not quite right with this gentleman. Pete has a very pale look to his face and is still sweating profusely. "Can I help you, sir?"

Pete leans heavily against the wall and manages to say just a few words. "Call the police …and ask for an ambulance!" As he finishes the statement, Pete begins to slowly slide down the wall as if melting. He ends up in a sitting position leaning against the wall with his eyes shut.

The young man quickly calls, and then runs around the counter to check on Pete. He sees blood dripping onto the floor coming from the wounded man. "Oh, god!" The park employee starts asking an assortment of questions like, "Mister, What happened? And who are you?"

But, only one thing comes out of Pete's mouth in a whisper. "Get Jimmy."

"Who's Jimmy?"

The young man goes outside and finds little Jimmy waiting in the car like he was told.

First to arrive are Officers Walters and Brice. The employee directs the officers to Pete's side.

Walters gasps, "My god, its Malloy! Pete, talk to me. What happened?"

Pete can barely think by this time. He is feeling really dizzy and a wave of nausea comes. He swallows hard and says, "Interrupted a …drug deal."

The employee keeps Jimmy preoccupied when the ambulance arrives and the attendants move Pete onto the gurney. At this point, Pete is fading in and out of consciousness from the blood loss. They load Pete onto the ambulance, and Walters speaks to Jimmy. "Your uncle is hurt, and they're taking him to the hospital. Let's try to get a hold of your dad, ok." Jimmy just looks up at Walters with melting eyes.

Walters puts a worried little boy into the squad car. They can't reach Reed at home so they decide to take Jimmy onto the hospital. Walters radios into the station to let Sgt. MacDonald know about Pete being injured.

The ambulance arrives and they quickly usher the gurney carrying Pete into the emergency room. A flurry of nurses and doctors go to work drawing blood work, placing an IV catheter with fluids wide open, taking vitals, and removing his clothing. The attendants have put a pressure bandage over the knife wound and have slowed the bleeding down. The question now is what type of internal injuries does he have.

Walters and Brice arrive at the hospital with little Jimmy in tow. The little fellow is beginning to crumble with no Pete or mom and dad to be found. The officers look to a friendly nurse nearby to comfort Jimmy. Again, Walters tries the Reed residence, but still no answer. They begin pacing at the waiting area awaiting word on Malloy. Sgt. MacDonald meets Walters, and he wants a rundown of the incident.

Walters is trying to fill Mac in on the situation for the little bit that he knows. "Pete managed to tell me that he came across a drug deal at Griffin Park. He must have been there with his godson and accidently walked into something. "

Mac's face expresses the shock of learning that Jimmy was there. "Where is Reed?"

"I don't know. We haven't been able to reach him yet."

"Where is Jimmy?"

"A nurse took him to get a snack. He was getting upset and she thought a distraction might help. "

"So what else do you know about the incident?"

"Not much, Pete was almost passed out when we came. I don't know how many were involved or where it even happened."

"How is Pete?"

"He didn't look good. He has a stab wound to his right side, and he was really pale. He looked like he lost a lot of blood. Mac, it might be a little while till we hear anything from the doctor. Why don't we go grab a cup of coffee?"

As Mac and Walters walk into the lounge, there stands Reed sipping a cup of coffee. Jim looks up and is surprised to see his sergeant and fellow officer.

Just as surprised is Mac and Walters.

"What are you doing here?" asks Reed.

"We were going to ask you the same question." States Mac.

Jim explains, "My father-in-law is having some heart issues and is being evaluated in the cardiac unit."

Mac gently rests his hand on Jim's shoulder and says, "Have a seat."

The look on Jim's face turns quickly to one of worry. "What's going on?" Jim slowly sits down with the other men.

Mac proceeds to fill Jim in on what little he knows. "Pete was just brought in by ambulance with a stab wound. Jimmy is ok, and he's with a nurse right now."

"Oh, my god! What happened?"

"We don't know many details except that Pete was at Griffin Park with Jimmy and he came across a drug deal and was injured. He's in the emergency treatment room now. We tried to reach you at home and couldn't."

"So, Jimmy's not hurt at all?"

"No, he's just fine, just a little shook up."

Jim stands up. "Let's go find Jimmy."

After wrapping his arms around Jimmy and getting a big hug in return, he takes him to find Jean. She will handle this a little better when seeing that Jimmy is ok. Fortunately, the testing is going pretty well for her father. He will be going home soon with some new medications. Jean sees Jim coming down the hall carrying Jimmy. _That was nice of Pete to bring Jimmy here,_ she thought.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

" Hello, honey. Did you have fun at the park?" Jean asks.

"Yes, mommy, they had a merry-go-round, swings, and slides, but unca Pete got hurt!"

Jean looks up to Jim and can see in his eyes that something more is going on.

"I need to go down to emergency to check on Pete. Go home with your parents and take Jimmy. I'll call as soon as I know something."

"What happened?"

"I only know that Pete was stabbed, but not much else."

Jean covers her face with her hand and lets out a small gasp. She then turns and ushers Jimmy into the room with her parents.

By the time, Jim gets back down to the waiting area the doctor has already come out and spoken with Sgt. MacDonald.

"So tell me how is Pete?" Jim demands.

"The doctor said that they are taking him to surgery because of the internal injuries. He said, Pete has lost a lot of blood, but the IV fluids are helping to stabilize him. He is worried that the knife might have lacerated his right kidney, but he wouldn't know for sure until they get inside." Mac explains.

"What are we doing about the person who did this?"

"Not much can be done until we have a chance to talk to Pete. I sent Brice and Walters back to the park to look for the area that it happened and to ask a few questions. "

Over the next couple hours the two closest friends of Pete wait. Then, the surgeon appears and reaches out his hand to Mac. "Hello, I'm Dr. Larson. You must be waiting to hear about Officer Malloy."

"Yes, can you tell us how he's doing?" Mac asks.

"Well, he came through the surgery just fine. He did have a lacerated right kidney, but we were able to repair the damage. I'm hopeful that his kidney will be fully functional when healed. We are also starting him on some strong IV antibiotics to protect against peritonitis, which is a big concern with a puncture wound into the abdomen. "

"Can we see him?" Jim asks.

"Not quite yet gentlemen. He's still in recovery, but I will have him moved into ICU shortly, and you can see him there. He will probably be sleeping for a bit with the pain medication on board."

"Doctor, how long will he need to stay?" Mac wonders out loud.

"I'm thinking we will be keeping him for a while. "

"Thank you, doctor." Both men are very thankful for the good news.

A short time later a nurse approaches the men and offers to show them to the ICU area. "Normally, we only allow one at a time, but Dr. Larson said to make an exception. "

Both Mac and Jim slowly walk up to the bed noticing all the lines hooked up to Pete. He is attached to an IV line with fluids, another with blood, and electrical ones to his chest. He also has a heavy bandage wrapped around his lower right side that can be seen through the light sheet. Jim even notices the urinary bag draped below the bed filling with amber colored fluid. _At least Pete isn't on a respirator and is breathing well on his own, _Jim thinks_._

_He looks so very pale_. Jim has a hard time seeing the man he knows as his indestructible partner lying quietly in bed. Jim sits down beside the bed and reaches out to touch Pete's hand. Mac rests his hand on Jim's shoulder showing support in the best way he can.

A short time later, both men with relief see Pete's eyelids start to flutter. "He's waking up!" Jim says.

As his eyes open, his vision remains fuzzy for a moment, Pete tries to look around and focus on the face closest to him. "Jim, …where's Jimmy?"

"He's ok Pete. He's with his mom." _That would be Pete to worry about Jimmy. _"How are you feeling is what I'm wondering?"

His mouth is dry and scratchy after surgery so he coughs some before answering Jim. "I'm feeling sore, and more than anything confined" as he looks at all the lines attached. "When are they letting me …out of here?"

"Hey, you lacerated a kidney. I think you need to take a little time to recuperate before you start complaining." His partner says.

Mac spoke up then. "Pete, can you remember what happened?"

"Not much to tell." Pete takes a slow painful breath then continues. "I was with Jimmy at Griffin Park near the playground. We had lunch and had been kicking around a ball. It rolled into a grove of trees just to the north of the playground." Pete coughs, "I interrupted a drug deal going down, I believe. Before I knew it, the one guy thought I was competition for the purchase and grabbed me and held a knife to my throat. I managed to get out of that position, but things quickly turned south, and I ended up stabbed, and they ran off. "

"Pete, I would like to get a sketch artist in here to get a drawing made up of the two men. Do you think you would be up for that? Our chances of catching them are better the sooner we do this. "

Pete looks completely exhausted, but nods his head at the request. "Sure."

"Hey, you get some rest. I'll be back with an artist soon." Mac says.

As both men head for the door, Pete turns his head to Jim. "Can you bring my godson in to see me?"

"Maybe when you're feeling better, I'll bring him in."

Pete just mumbles to himself, "Jimmy's a gem." Then, he falls asleep.


End file.
